Monday, August 06, 2012

· Through Waves' Recording Log - Part XII ·

This is, at last, the final installment of The Recording Log I have been producing as a documentation for Through Waves’ upcoming third album ”Santuário”.

For the past nine months I have been registering the creative process of this work, which concludes a conceptual trilogy of albums initiated with the 2010 debut release ”Sail, Schooner” and the 2011 double feature album ”Deconstruct the Debris”. This journey of mine has been one of self-discovery in every aspect, from the first note to the last: leaving behind the safety of a metaphorical shore in search of my identity; discovering someone that I wanted to be against all possibilities; and eventually dying into myself so I could reborn as a new person, unburdened by all the fears I have been dragging since the first day I realized I was alive in this world. This, the last chapter of this tale represents what I call A MORTE DO SAGRADO, which is a way to give a proper burial for these things I no longer have any use for, and move on into all my roads and paths, where music shan’t be only a tool of therapy and personal growth, but also a pleasure… Something I shall be able to do for its own sake. That is what I always hoped to achieve with this work, and I feel safe to affirm that such is indeed the case now. This is a milestone in the history of Through Waves, and after six years it is time to accept it.

”Santuário” is what its own name implies: a sanctuary, a sacred place where the sailor I used to be can rest in peace, honoured by all the little bits of my heart that hold utmost respect for his boldness, and entirely compassionate by his toils and pains. With the release of this collection of songs, I will be able to close the sanctuary’s gates and move forward, as I always wanted to do. Wearing a new face, a new sex (or lack of), a new city, a new voice and a widened view of the world; for now I do not see it from the inside, as I always did: it is in front of me, and illuminated by a light I never thought I had. A beacon of hope.

Through Waves has always dealt with contrasts in its work, as a necessary way to keep things in balance. Be it in the gruesome lyrics in heartfelt (and even joyful) melodies, or the delicate child-like faun covered in silky veils, standing proudly in front of some of the most horrible things I have EVER written; or even the natural contrasts and disparities of my own gender identity, which has to fluctuate in order for me to understand things from different sides, it has never a one-sided direction. What you have been exposed so far regarding the darkness of ”Santuário”’s imagery is obviously bounded to this rule; and therefore, I hope you can experience its music as it truly is: a breeze, light and feathered, a breath of life into the deaths of my lives, beautiful, honest and ephemeral, ever in fond remembrance of what is no more. And there is nothing left to say… At least in our mundane, worldly languages. I am singing the tongue of my heart, and these are little secrets I shall keep to myself, for only I understand them… I and the Water.

As I am unveiling slowly this final stage of my current musical journey, I find myself celebrating Through Waves’ sixth anniversary today. And refusing to pass through this date unmarked, I am releasing into your cares two somethings: the first one most of you are already acquainted with: ”Deconstruct the Debris” - the official video, previously available only as an enhanced bonus on the limited edition CD of ”Debriser” single. The second one, however, is an entirely new thing: ”Two Chapters”, a short movie featuring the official video for the song ”A Ponte dos Mortos” and a performance of one of ”Santuário”’s chapters, ”Napaeus”. As silly as these video features may be, they are just a simple visual outlet for me to be able to visualize even more the depths of my own story, all the while making it possible for you to see it as well. That little boy-faun, chanting his message of hope now leaves the sailor into the woods, alone, DEAD, wandering aimless, in search of a pulsing sound coming from a new place. And there is a happy ending.

”DECONSTRUCT THE DEBRIS”

”TWO CHAPTERS”

I bid you all farewell for a short while, as this Recording Log no longer proceeds. Welcome all to my place of rest! Tarry long, my dear visitor, for this is in all sincerity, a place to be happy.